Week 5: Advising and Support Network
Issue #5
Advising and Support Network
All Oberlin students have access to a personalized support network. This network includes your advisors and peer mentors who will support you both inside and outside the classroom. You will also have access to the full breadth of student support resources available to all Oberlin students. You’ll continue to learn about these resources throughout the summer and once you arrive on campus.
Your Academic Advisor
New Obies are assigned academic advisors they'll meet with during New Student Orientation. This person will become one of your most important resources while navigating Oberlin. All academic advisors are faculty or staff members invested in holistically supporting you. In the Conservatory, your studio teacher is often, although not always, your advisor. In the Arts & Sciences, your first academic advisor is a pre-major advisor separate from your summer advisor.
You will meet with your academic advisor during New Student Orientation. At this meeting, you will discuss your course schedule, review your goals for the first semester, and plan ahead for other opportunities that Oberlin offers. You will continue to meet with your academic advisor throughout your first semester to discuss academic pathways and strategies for success. In addition to supporting you academically, your advisor can help connect you with campus resources, student organizations, and other faculty members whose courses you may be interested in taking.
Your Peer Advising Leader (PAL)
The Peer Advising Leaders (PAL) program’s goal is to support all incoming students in building community and preparing to make the most of their first-year experience, inside and outside the classroom. New students will join their cohorts even before they get to campus, in order to grow the roots that will allow them to succeed during their first semester at Oberlin and beyond.
Peer Advising Leaders (PALs) are second-, third-, and fourth-year students who are trained to support incoming Arts and Sciences and Double Degree students as they navigate the transition to Oberlin life and learning throughout New Student Orientation and the fall semester. Each PAL leads a cohort of 15 new students who also share a class through the First-Year Seminar program (FYSP). In this way, each cohort shares academic, co-curricular, and social experiences throughout their first semester, forming bonds that will last through the rest of their time at Oberlin and beyond.
During all PAL sessions, as well as in opportunities for students to gather socially, the ethos of “Obies helping Obies” remains at the program’s core. This is why we are proud to say that, at Oberlin, every new student has a PAL!
During the week of August 19th, the PAL experience will begin with remote meetings. In these meetings, incoming students will have a chance to start building relationships with their peers, articulate their goals and aspirations for their first semester, and plan for their arrival to campus.
PAL meetings will continue once students have arrived in Oberlin. During this in-person portion of the Orientation experience, students will build on connections initiated during their remote cohort sessions. Together, cohorts will develop organizational strategies for academic success, discuss how to create inclusive and equitable communities, get their bearings on campus, and venture into Cleveland for a day of fun and exploration.
The PAL cohort experience continues into the semester through the co-curricular LEAD 050 course. As students settle into their first semester at Oberlin, PAL's will convene regular meetings to help students understand important campus policies like the Honor Code, prepare to participate in their first winter term, connect with important campus resources inside and outside the classroom, and prepare students for appointments with their academic advisors to plan for future semesters.
Your Success Coach
Success Coaches coach Obies to reach their full potential through:
- Understanding Self
- Creating Connections
- Building Life Skills
The Success Coaching framework empowers students to take charge of their collegiate experience through personal and group coaching sessions, fostering self-defined student success. Success Coaches are trained and certified professional staff members who work alongside students to co-create personal, academic, and professional success plans, holistically supporting students while they work towards their goals
Make an appointment with a Success Coach for:
- Developing an asset-based mindset and exploring your values
- Building community on campus, transitional stressors, and self-care
- Study habits, time management techniques, and goal setting strategies
- First-generation and income-eligible (FGIE) student support
Coaches are available Monday through Friday (virtual or in-person), 9 am - 5 pm, to help you prepare for a successful Oberlin experience.
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Your Resident Assistant
Your residential community at Oberlin will be an important part of your first-year experience. Whether you choose to live in a First-Year Residential Experience community, an intercultural exchange community, a language house, a themed space, or traditional housing, you will have a Resident Assistant (RA) who is committed to helping you feel supported and welcomed.
All RAs are fellow students who serve as leaders and community-builders in their residential communities. Throughout the year, your RA will help you navigate important processes like creating roommate agreements, host events to help you get to know your fellow residents, and serve as a general resource for any questions you may have. 